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Home / World

Fatal Fiji Ferris wheel accident: Man shares his brush with disaster

NZ Herald
4 Jul, 2023 12:09 AM3 mins to read

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Kiri Allan's future remains uncertain ahead of a meeting with the Prime Minister, Waka Kotahi accused of being overcautious with access to the Harbour Bridge and violent protests ease in France after days of unrest in the latest headlines. Video / NZ Herald / Getty / AP

A man in Fiji has revealed he asked to be let off a “ridiculously fast” Ferris wheel in Suva just moments before three women plunged from the attraction, killing one and injuring two.

The Fiji Times reports that 21-year-old Komal Kavita Kumar died in hospital after falling from the ride, part of the Fiji Showcase, on Friday last week.

The other two women, aged 19 and 38, have now been discharged from hospital.

Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro told the Times that the operators and owners of the Ferris wheel have been questioned. An investigation into the incident has been launched.

In the wake of the accident, a local man stepped forward to claim that he had been on the ride that day, criticising the operator and sharing graphic details.

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He shared his experience on Facebook, writing that he hopped on the ride with his family and was given tips on how to lean correctly in the seat to balance it.

“Aren’t we supposed to feel safe even just by sitting on the seat?” he asked.

He said the wheel was going “ridiculously fast” and he asked to the operator to let him and his family off.

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“We got off and the three ladies who are all over the news were put on our seat,” he wrote, saying he was watching the ride after his family disembarked and saw the women fall.

“I could hear the impact of their bodies when they hit the ground,” he said.

He accused operators of not being in control of the ride and it was “no longer a Ferris wheel”.

“That is now a crime scene,” he wrote.

Offering his condolences to the dead woman’s family he said he was speaking out to protect others.

“I wrote this ‘cause this could’ve been me and my family and we would’ve wanted someone to do the same,” he said.

The dead woman’s family gave an emotional interview to the Times, saying they were struggling to come to terms with the loss of their youngest child.

Her father said he had just told his daughter to quit her job and stay home with her mother, who described the young woman as her “right-hand helper”.

“I told my daughter on Thursday evening when we were talking, and yarning, don’t go to work, you just sit down at home with your mum because I’m working so there’s no problem,” Thomas Anup Kumar said.

“On Friday morning, I prayed, and I went to work, and, in the afternoon, I received the bad news.”

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